Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 11

The 63rd Cavalry Diamond Jubilee Cycle Expedition reached the holy city today after covering a distance of 1920 km. The expedition was flagged off by Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, from Bhuj on February 13 to commemorate the 60 glorious years of dedicated service to the nation.The team traversed through the challenging terrain of Thar Desert, Aravalis and plains of Punjab and Haryana with an aim to establish a connection with the regiment’s veterans and to rekindle the glorious past and heritage.The expedition was covered in two phases. In phase one, the team from 5 (I) Armoured Squadron under Capt Himanshu Karan covered a distance of 1,200 km and reached their destination Alwar on February 27. Enroute to Alwar, the team also carried out a camel and mountain safari through the Aravalis in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.The phase two team from the regiment under Lt Abhijeet Mahajan was flagged off by Lt Gen KJ Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, from Alwar for its final destination Amritsar.The flagging off ceremony also included the inauguration of a heritage wall dedicated to the service of the regiment. The expedition traversed through Rohtak, Ambala, Jalandhar and Ludhiana before reaching Amritsar. LieutenantColonel KG Jalnawala, the senior most veteran of the regiment, flagged off the expedition in Amritsar. “The expedition provided an opportunity for regiment personnel to inculcate the spirit of camaraderie through a judicious mix of challenge, adventure and thrill by pitting them against nature,” said PK Sharma, an Army spokesperson, in statement here today.

Pathankot, March 5

There are some “disturbing” inputs about a terror attack in India aimed at creating the “maximum media impact” during the Shivratri festival and the ongoing Parliament session, a top army commander disclosed here today with an assurance that steps have been taken to deal with it.“There are security related problems today. You know, Maha Shivratri is coming. There are inputs which are disturbing but notwithstanding that extra care has been taken,” Western Army Commander Lt Gen KJ Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of a function. When asked to elaborate, he refused but said such events were planned to create “maximum media impact”.“See elaboration is neither required nor warranted. These events (terror attacks) are planned to create maximum media impact and when can you create a media impact when Parliament is in session, when a festival is taking place, so both happen to be going on… so that is why, there are inputs but we have taken steps against that. I must assure you of that,” he said.The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Western Command went on to add that such “mischievous” activities will not deter a great nation as the Army is fully geared to meet any eventuality.“We want to tell whoever has got this mischievous intentions that nothing can deter us, one Pathankot, one Arnia, one Janglot, once more Samba, cannot deter us. This nation is too great. The Indian Army is fully organised. We will take care of every situation,” Lt Gen Singh said.When asked about inputs that some Pakistan-based terrorist commanders were in touch with their Kashmiri counterparts, he said, “there are certain inputs. There are certain indications. I should only tell you this much that we are fully prepared for that.”With regard to the detection of a tunnel in Jammu on the International Border with Pakistan, he said it had helped avert a major terror attack. He added that a survey would be carried out in all the border areas to see if there are any more such tunnels, for which a team of officials of Home Ministry and other security agencies has been formed. — PTI

Another Pathankot-like attack was being planned

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Amk Post (RS Pura), March 5It is no reel scene from a Bollywood flick. Had Pakistan’s secret tunnel gone undetected and the terrorists sneaked in, the heavily militarised Satwari Cantonment, with Jammu Air Force Station and Tiger Division headquarters, was just six km away for them via the almost dry Nikki Tawi river.The tunnel that originated from Afzal Saeed post on Pakistan’s side and crossed India’s defence layers of an embankment and five-foot-wide barbed fence, ran close to the Nikki Tawi river.“For trained terrorists who staged the Pathankot airbase attack, covering between six and seven km via the Nikki Tawi river and reaching the heavily militarised area in Satwari would have been no big deal,” said sources in the counter-insurgency wing of the police.“Satwari houses the Jammu Air Force Station, Military Hospital, Tiger Division headquarters, several schools of the Army and Air Force and a convent school,” they said.There had been numerous instances of Pakistani terrorists sneaking in via the international border, covering between 10 and 12 km through the night, appearing on the Jammu-Pathankot highway and staging attacks, they added.The Nikki Tawi, in the vicinity of Jammu, had no serious checkpoint. Barely two km from the tunnel, residents of Basti Derian village were frightened following the latest development.“Never before did we see or hear about a tunnel being dug in our area. It has happened for the first time since 1947. Had they succeeded in their sinister designs, terrorists could have caused carnage,” said Chain Singh, a grocer.He said the village had three high schools. “We could have been soft targets for gun-wielding ultras,” he said.Narayan Singh, a village elder, said AMK Post had been witness to Pakistani shelling and firing, but there was no intrusion bid so far. “This development has certainly sent a shiver down our spines,” he said.“It was a coincidence that a BSF tractor passed over the stretch and the land caved in. Had this not taken place, armed terrorists could have spelt doom on poor villagers in the night,” he added.Ram Pal and Tilak Raj, who echoed similar views, said the spot where the tunnel had been detected was close to the Nikki Tawi.

EX SERVICEMEN JOINT ACTION FRONT

(SANJHA MORCHA) WELCOME HONY CAPT SOHAN LAL CHAWLA TO THE FAMILY FOLDS OF SANJHA MORCHA.

HE HAS SETTLED DOWN IN YAMUNA NAGAR AFTER HIS RETIREMENT FROM 4 GR.

His two sons are Army officers. One serving Colonel and second took premature as a  Major and have settled abroad

WE WISH HIS ALL THE BEST AND LOOK FORWARD FROM HIS LONG EXPERIENCE FOR THE WELFARE OF EX-SERVICEMEN, WIDOWS,DEPENDENTS AND FAMILIES OF MARTYRS FROM HIS AREA.

HE DOWNLOADED THE MEMBERSHIP FORM THE WEB SITE OF SANHA MORCHA  UNDER THE PULL DOWN MENU “MEMBERSHIP”
“AND FORWARDED THE SAME TO THE BRANCH OFFICE ALONG WITH HIS CONTRIBUTION.

Asks Home Secy to speed up return of several pockets occupied by Army

An Army camp on land belonging to Jammu University.

Arteev Sharma,Tribune News Service.Jammu, March 2

In a significant development, the state government has decided to expedite the process of vacating of land by the Army. This is an indication to parties to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under Governor’s rule at present.Highly placed sources said the state government had directed Home Secretary RK Goyal to expedite the process of return of certain pockets in possession of the Army, which was agreed upon in the Civil-Military Liaison (CML) conference that was held in Srinagar on September 29 last year.“The Governor, who recently addressed the Union Defence Minister regarding enhancement in rental compensation for land under the Army’s occupation, would shortly review the return of certain pockets of land, with the Army at present,” a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said here today.The government, administered by the Governor, had taken all possible measures to restore people’s confidence in the administrative set-up as it vigorously followed decisions taken by the previous political dispensation headed by late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who died on January 7.The Governor’s resolve to review the return of certain pockets of land, in possession of the Army at present, was a sequel to the decision taken during the first CML conference of the previous PDP-BJP government held last year.The follow-up of major policy decisions was a part of the Governor’s efforts for early restoration of a popular elected government in the state. So far, he had sought the response of the PDP and BJP, the two largest political parties, on government formation twice.Referring to the ‘Agenda of Alliance’ of the PDP-BJP government during the CML conference, Mufti had asked the Army to expedite vacating of Tattoo Ground at Batmaloo in the heart of Srinagar. He had said, “It will enable the government to develop basic facilities at Tattoo Ground in the interest of the public.”On November 3 last year, the then Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a citizens’ park at Tattoo Ground. It was for the first time that the Army had agreed to part with a chunk of land for development of a citizens’ park.Issues pertaining to vacating of land by the Army in Gulmarg, High Ground in Anantnag, Tattoo Ground in Srinagar, Lower Khurbathang in Kargil, Jammu airport and Jammu University campus in a time-bound manner were discussed.The ‘Agenda of Alliance’, which was the framework for governance of the PDP-BJP government, stated, “All land other than that given to security forces on the basis of lease, licence and acquisition under the provision of the Land Acquisition Act shall be returned to rightful legal owners, except in a situation where retaining the land is absolutely imperative in view of a specific security requirement. In any case, monetary remuneration, be it in the form of rent or compensation, should be made fairly at market rates.”The state government constituted a high-level panel on January 29 to oversee the process of taking possession of land from the Army and security forces.

In Bihar, candidates asked to strip down to their underwear for Army exam –

short by Anupama K / 12:33 pm on 01 Mar 2016,Tuesday

As many as 1,150 candidates who appeared for an army recruitment test at Muzaffarpur district in Bihar on Sunday were asked to sit in their underwear to avoid cheating. This was done to save time on frisking so many people, reported The Indian Express. Local residents said that this is the second time the test was being conducted this way.

After that defining freezeframe from Vaishali last year of people perched on the window shades of a multi-storey building, passing on answer chits to students appearing for exams inside, comes another image from Bihar showing the other side of the coin.

This one, from Sunday, shows over 1,150 candidates, dressed only in their underwear, sitting cross-legged on an open ground in Muzaffarpur, putting pen to paper in the hope of making it to the Army. They said they were ordered to do so by supervisors to ensure they don’t cheat in the recruitment exam for soldiers on general duty and in the clerical and technical categories.

Sources at the Army Regional Office (ARO) said the candidates were asked to remove their clothes to “save time on frisking so many people”.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Col V S Godhara, director, ARO, said, “We conduct thorough frisking and ensure that candidates carry minimum external things to the exam centre.”

But photos from the venue, accessed by The Indian Express, and interviews with candidates who appeared for the exams in their underwear suggest that the supervisors went a few steps further. “As we entered Chakkar Maidan, the venue, we were asked to remove all clothes except underwear. We had no option but to comply with the instructions even though it felt odd. The gap between candidates was about eight feet in all directions,” said a candidate, who did not wish to be identified. “We do not expect to appear for such largescale examinations in halls, but telling us to remove our clothes was not dignified,” said another candidate. Officials confirmed that 1,159 candidates appeared for the written test on Sunday, including 775 candidates in the general duty category, 211 candidates in clerical and 173 candidates in technical. They said that the written test lasted an hour, adding that the medical and physical tests were conducted between February 4 and 12. Asked about photos that show uniformed personnel supervising candidates writing the test in their underwear, Col Godhara said, “I have seen one photo (from the exam centre) but that is too vague.” Asked if the arrangement was specific to Bihar, Col Godhara said, “Nothing is state-specific”. While local residents said that this was the second time that the Army recruitment test was being conducted in this manner, a senior officer described the procedure as an “administrative lapse”. Speaking to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, the Army officer said, “There is no question of the Army conducting a written test in this manner. It is only during physical tests and medical exams that candidates are asked to remove their clothes. The written test is a test of the mental faculty anyway, and making candidates appear for that in their underwear amounts to an administrative lapse”.

Our Correspondent

Udhampur, February 23

Little Flower Convent High School paid tributes to Capt Tushar Mahajan here today.Captain Mahajan, who lost his life while fighting militants in the Pampore area of Kashmir on Sunday, had been a student of the school and learnt his first lessons of patriotism and valour in the campus. He was always in the forefront and led by examples. His teachers remembered him as a naughty but lovable boy.His classmates remembered him as a lovable and dedicated friend who left an inerasable impression on all those whom he met. He was a brilliant student, excellent in all disciplines.

Protesting Gujjars block Pathankot highway, seek compensation

Vishal Jasrotia

Samba, February 23

A day after the death of a Gujjar youth in the alleged police firing in the Sarore area of Samba, locals, including the relatives of the victim, blocked the Jammu-Pathankot national highway at Vijaypur in protest on Tuesday.The protesters laid Mohammad Yaqoob’s body in the middle of the road and raised slogans against the authorities.Despite inputs, no preventive measures were taken by the district administration and security agencies to avert the protest, which led to disruption in vehicular movement for more than two hour.The blockade led to a massive traffic jam on both the sides of the highwayThe protesters demanded compensation to the victim’s family and registering of criminal case against the police personnel responsible for the incident.Later, Deputy Inspector General Ashqoor Wani, senior National Conference leader Mian Altaf, Surjeet Singh Slathia and senior district officials reached the spot and assured the protesters of compensation and a magisterial probe into the incident.“We assured Rs 5 lakh from district administration as compensation to the deceased’s family. Directions have also been given for providing tents and relief material to the affected families. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered and the situation is control,” said Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Sheetal Nanda.An FIR into the killing of the youth has already been registered and police have constituted a team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Faizal Qureshi to investigate the case, said a police spokesperson.A civilian was killed and seven police personnel, including two women constables, were injured after a clash over an anti-encroachment drive by the Jammu Development Authority in the Sarore area.

End of siege, diversions on NH lifted

Srinagar, February 23

The traffic on the Pampore-Panthachowk stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was allowed to ply normally today after remaining in absolute disarray for about three days.Traffic on the NH remained diverted from Saturday afternoon to Monday evening in the wake of the 48-hour gun battle between security forces and militants in Sempora area of Pampore near here.Nine people, including three Army men, two CRPF personnel, three militants and a civilian, were killed in the gunfight.Security agencies, keeping the safety of commuters in view, diverted Srinagar and Anantnag-bound traffic to different routes to avoid the actual spot of the gunfight.The traffic today, however, was very thin in wake of a sporadic shutdown being observed in many parts along the highway, including Panthachowk, Pampore and Awantipora. Sources said public transport remained largely off the roads throughout the day.—OC

A soldier explains features of a weapon to students at a seminar at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. A Tribune photograph

Amritsar, February 22

Panther Division organised a seminar at Guru Nanak Dev University on various entry schemes to motivate and encourage youth of Punjab to join Army here today.The seminar was attended by a large number of civil officials, faculty members and students. The life of an officer in the Army was highlighted among students, including girls, besides other entry schemes during the seminar.The event commenced with an address by Commander Dograi Brigade, which was followed by a movie “Life less ordinary”, featuring life of an officer and various adventure activities undertaken by the Indian Army. Students were given information about various entry schemes for joining the Army as commissioned officer. A team of officers gave details about complete selection procedure of the Service Selection Board (SSB).Hundreds of students from various colleges attended the seminar. The display of weapons used by the Infantry at the end of the seminar was the main attraction, especially among the younger generation.— TNS

In the last 48 hours, the Indian army is once again in the news. One, for its deployment in Haryana to control the Jat agitation in the state which spiraled out of control, thanks to inept political and administrative handling. And two, losing a young officer, a para-commando officer—who incidentally was a graduate from the Jawaharlal Nehru University—in an on-going operation in Kashmir. It is not clear if the para-military forces—CRPF and BSF—were deployed in Haryana after the police lost control over the situation but what is evident is that increasingly, the Army is being called in to deal with what essentially are law and order situations. The decision to deploy the Army in Haryana at the first indication of trouble instead of using it as the last resort is debatable but given that the agitators were hell bent on destruction of public property and indiscriminate violence, perhaps the decision was unavoidable.

The Army has in the past done whatever job it has been assigned to do and will continue to do so in the future too, its reservations on certain aspects of decision-making notwithstanding but what hurts the men in olive green is the continuing attempts to downgrade the Army’s status and constantly downplay its contribution to the national effort. The award of the 7^th Central Pay Commission (CPC)—thankfully only a recommendation so far not accepted by the government–is a case in point. It seeks to place the Army at par or below the central armed police forces (CAPFs) through granting lower grade pay and lesser allowances. This is harmful to the Army–and the nation in the process–in the long run for several reasons.

Progressive degradation of status of Armed Forces personnel has had alarming adverse impact on self esteem of personnel and hence their operational effectiveness. International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research (IJMSSR) in its issue of 12 Dec 2013 listed the findings of its research stating that only eight per cent of youth surveyed opted to join Armed Forces as against 58 per cent choosing to join other Central government services although Armed Forces Officers cadre constitutes 72 per cent of all Group A and All India Services strength. Though not being spoken formally, the following facts are undeniable if the current trend continues.

• Shortage of officers in Armed Forces will be extremely difficult to be fully mitigated.
• Self Esteem of those joining as officers, is taking a hit quickly after joining. This, despite many in-house measures, is reflected in relatively lower morale and less than desired level of commitment of younger generation officers.
• Owing to large scale unemployment, intake of recruits (as Jawans) has not declined yet, their quality and amenability to discipline and of being shaped into combatants with high degree of commitment and sacrifice, has been declining by the day. So far significant numbers have been responding positively to the quality of leadership by the officer cadre. However, with declining self esteem of officer cadre itself, their collective capacity at stemming the rot and keep jawans motivated, is eroding. Increasing numbers have already begun displaying unwillingness to serve beyond initial period of engagement. This trend is already affecting retention of skilled manpower, adversely.

And this despite the fact that personnel of Armed Forces, on an average, incur Least Lifetime Cost to the Government on account of the following:-

• Largest numbers serve for shortest period and retire early (between ages of 35 yrs to 54 yrs). Hence, draw least per capita government salary.
• During entire career, they serve maximum time in junior ranks and least time in senior ranks hence, draw lower salaries for maximum portion of career.
• Owing to combination of both of above (largest numbers retiring early and in lower ranks), their last pay drawn is much lower than civilian counterparts. Pension, though being 50 per cent of Last Pay Drawn as applicable to all, pension amount of Armed Forces personnel is much lower.

And yet, as an Instrument of last resort, the demands on the armed forces are significantly higher in terms of proficiency, commitment and sense of sacrifice. Armed forces being ‘Instrument of Last Resort’ do not have the luxury of ‘failing’ or handing over adverse situation to any other government agency. This singular fact demands of its personnel much higher degrees of commitment, leadership, risk taking, proficiency in multiple technological and tactical skills and willingness to sacrifice.

It is therefore imperative that armed forces should at least be considered ‘First amongst Uniformed Services’. Unfortunately, the 7^th CPC has not considered this and placed Defence Personnel even below the Indian Police Service (IPS) by awarding them two additional increments at 4, 9 & 13 years Service (now at par with IAS) while military personnel continue to get only one increment each at 2, 6 & 13 years Service. Overall, taking pay and allowances cumulatively, the 7^th CPC has further placed Armed Forces either at par or below CAPF.

This faulty award is because of faulty assumptions and inadequate Appreciation of Actual Roles and Required Degree of Proficiency & Risks. For instance, equating of CoBRA unit of CRPF with ‘Special Forces’ and assuming their hardship & risk as more severe than ‘Airborne Forces – Para units,’ reflects gross ignorance of roles, desired proficiency levels & attendant risks of various components of Armed Forces and the CAPF. Consider 7^th CPC recommending ‘Risk & Hardship Allowance’ for National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel when employed in disaster relief. Since Disaster Relief is the only role assigned to the NDRF, how can the organization seek extra allowance over & above their salary for doing their primary and only task? By this logic, ask the armed forces personnel, why shouldn’t the military be awarded special allowance when called out to aid civil authority during disasters which is not its primary task?

It’s time a thorough review is done in the way we as a nation compensate our soldiers. Otherwise, one of our most admired institutions is bound to face decay that will come at the cost of nation’s security.http://www.abplive.in/blog/downgrading-the-military-is-bad-for-nations-health

Army personnel get down from a helicopter at the Police Lines in Rohtak on Saturday. Manoj Dhaka

Ravinder Saini,Tribune News Service,Rohtak, February 20

With the main roads leading to Delhi, Hisar and Jaipur either dug up or blocked by protesters, choppers were used to drop troops at the Police Lines ground early this morning. As three Army helicopters made several rounds to drop the personnel, curious residents rushed to their housetops for a better view. The district authorities had to call more troops in the afternoon in view of the large number of protesters who encircled the city.Though the district authorities imposed a curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders, people were seen roaming around on two-wheelers. Over a dozen autos were found burnt at various places on the city’s main road. Distraught traders and shopkeepers whose business establishments were set on fire last night were seen assessing their loss. The Army and the police staged a flag march from the Police Lines till the Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) campus where a large numbers of protesters were on dharna. The protesters did not budge despite repeated warnings.  BJP to issue show-cause notice to Saini New Delhi: The BJP has decided to issue a show-cause notice to its Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini for speaking against reservation forJats. “The party has taken cognisance of remarks made by Saini and decided to issue him a show-cause notice,” BJP general secretary Anil Jain, who is in charge of Haryana, said. “Saini was asked to refrain from making such statements but he defied the central leadership’s diktat,” Jain said at a press meet jointly addressed by Union Ministers Chaudhary Birender Singh and Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana Minister OP Dhankar. TNSPowergrid puts off recruitment examNew Delhi: The state-owned transmission utility firm Powergrid has deferred screening test for engineers due to the Jat agitation. The test was originally scheduled for Sunday. “Test stands postponed. Fresh dates will be be announced later,” Powergrid said in a statement. Haryana continued to be on the boil on Saturday as the Jat stir unleashed fresh incidents of violence and arson, in which railway stations,  police stations and some buildings were set ablaze even as the Army had to use choppers to reach parts of the blocked Rohtak district. PTICentre keeps tabs; UP, Rajasthan on alertNew Delhi: With Haryana on the boil, the Centre is monitoring developments in the state and has advised UP and Rajasthan Governments to be on alert, as it fears spread of the agitation in other parts too. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs while refuting the allegation of Intelligence failure said, “The ministry is keeping a watch on the development in the troubled state and has assured the local administration all possible help.” UP and Rajasthan Governments have been asked to be on alert, as “they might witness a cascading effect of the stir in Haryana,” they said. TNS